Man on life support following Carmel fire

A father is on life support and his 2-year-old son was hospitalized after an early morning fire at 942 Auman Drive East in Carmel.

Jim Shiel, 26, was hospitalized and on life support with injuries he suffered in the fire. His son Andy Shiel, 2, is at Riley Hospital for Children being treated for injuries.

A pet dog, Kansas, also died in the fire.

The City of Carmel earlier in the day reported that Jim Shiel had died – that was incorrect. The Carmel Fire Department received conflicting information from the Marion County Coroner’s Office that led to the report.

“The City of Carmel apologizes to the family for any hardship this may have caused,” the city said in a subsequent news release.

The fire was reported at 6:31 a.m. by a neighbor who was leaving for work and noticed fire coming from the front of the house.

The neighbor called 9-1-1 and knocked on the door trying to alert the residents. When no one answered she then went and alerted another neighbor who attempted to enter the house on fire, but was not able to enter due to smoke and fire, according to a news release from the City of Carmel

When Carmel firefighters arrived they discovered the two victims in the kitchen. They were treated and taken to IU North hospital in Carmel. From there the victims were transferred to Indianapolis hospitals, according to the release.

Fire investigators believe some pinched electrical wires behind a desk may have caused the fire to ignite curtains and spread through part of the house, according to the release.

There were no smoke detectors found in this house, said Bruce Knott, Fire Marshal for the Carmel Fire Department.